PSL – MATCH 21 – PESHAWAR ZALMI VS ISLAMABAD UNITED – FANTASY PREVIEW

In second match of today’s double-header, the defending champions Peshawar Zalmi meets the champions of the first season Islamabad united. This will be an important clash for both sides. If Islamabad United wins, they will move to top or second spot in the points table. Zalmi need to approach all remaining matches as must win to reach playoffs. Match 21 between Peshawar Zalmi vs Islamabad United is schedule to start at 8 PM Local | 9:30 PM IST tonight.

PESHAWAR ZALMI :

Three wins and three losses out of 6 matches forced Peshawar Zalmi to bottom second in the points ladder. The injury of captain Darren Sammy kept him away from the XI. Without Sammy, Zalmi looked uncomfortable in the last game against Sultans. All remaining matches are an important for Zalmi to confirm the place in Playoffs. So, we can expect at least one or two changes in their lineups. Andre Fletcher replaced Tamim Iqbal who left for national duties and Fletcher would keep his place at top order. His partner Kamran Akmal was the key factor of Zalmi’s success last year, he already scored two half-centuries in the ongoing season but he is not maintaining consistency and that causes problems at top order. Dwayne Smith and stand-in skipper Mohammad Hafeez are playing a crucial role at no. 3 and 4. Hafeez had scored a fought hard half-century in their last game and he needs to carry on that good form tonight. Riki Wessels had replaced Sabbir Rahman in the XI and started off his campaign decently with 22 runs. All-rounder Liam Dawson turned out as a key performer of the team with his two impressive bowling spells and also with his batting knock of 32 runs in the last game. He claimed a tally of 4 wickets in 2 matches and also bowled well economical spells. The experienced pacers Wahab Riaz and Hasan Ali had a great match against Qalandars last weekend. But both of them had bowled a wicket-less cum an expensive spell in the last game. Based on the experiences and an importance of this clash, Zalmi would prefer to go with their main bowlers. Pacer Umaid Asif bowled well in early matches but he struggled a bit in very recent matches. Still, Zalmi would prefer him as a third seamer. Sameen Gul’s place is under threat as he conceded over 10 runs per over in the last game. As spinner Dawson did well, the team management may prefer to add one more spinner to the XI. That case, Ibtisam Sheikh or all-rounder Saad Nasim will get a chance in the XI.

ISLAMABAD UNITED :

A sudden momentum with three wins in a row makes Islamabad United as tough opponent at this stage of the tournament. United were struggled for right team combination on the first leg of Dubai but they changed their fortune in Sharjah leg and carry forward a good show to register hat-trick of wins. Luke Ronchi’s back-to-back 70+ runs knocks makes him as a threat for any opponent right now. Initially, he faced lot of troubles but once he got into form, he smashed balls all over the park in last two games and that trend is expected to continue later tonight. Batting all-rounder JP Duminy has a busy T20 league outings for rest of the season as he also set to play in the IPL. But he should expose his all-round skills here to confirm his place in the Mumbai Indians playing XI. He didn’t bring his A-game yet in the tournament, hopefully, will bring that from here on. Sahibzada Farhan seems like a lucky factor of the team, so they keep him in the XI and send him lower down in the order. Asif Ali is a good batsman but not utilizing much of opportunities. As United uses him as a main player from domestic circuit, Asif Ali is expected to keep his place safe. All-rounder Samit Patel didn’t pick a wicket in last two matches and also didn’t get an opportunity to bat. Therefore, some possible chances for him to sit out but as Andre Russell also ruled out already, United don’t enough suitable replacement for him. Hussain Talat plays a key role with the bat at lower middle-order and he also supports with his part-time bowling at times. All-rounder Faheem Ashraf is the major key factor of Islamabad United’s success in recent matches. He does well with both bat and bowl and expecting him to do the same tonight too. The senior bowler Mohammad Sami had two poor games in a row, he should come back with at least 2 or more wickets in this game. As Steven Finn conceded a lot of runs, Samuel Badree may get his first opportunity.

Cricket is what everyone loves. If you’re ready to play fantasy cricket but don’t know how to analyze players, consider his Articles as the foundation of your fantasy teams. Anand is a cricket blogger and fantasy cricket lover.

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